New Amsterdam Cafe

Honestly I would rate it more of a 4.6 but the stars only come in increments of 1.0, so, round up to 5. :-P The service is usually quite good, but I also tip adequately. Sometimes on busy nights I get the sense that as a regular I'm sort of expected to wait a bit as they make a good impression with the new faces, well, sure, I can do that. I usually turn up prior to 5PM anyway. I almost always order food there. Selection is a bit more limited since the remodeling and simplification of the kitchen (they at some point admitted that the vast majority of people are only going to buy the minimum one beverage or snack to stay there) but I've always liked grilled cheese, heh. The Cheech hits most of the munchy sweet spots. Also a fan of the pulled pork but it's not as consistently good as the Cheech. I have to say the vibe has slowly changed over the years. 10+ years ago it was definitely more... not sure how to describe it... earthy? Not dirty, but down to earth people. Perhaps on the fringes, but hey, it was long before talk of legalization. Now it's gone all trendy, almost upscale, the clientele not quite as friendly/open. But hey, maybe this means they're spending more money, and the New Amsterdam can survive this insane real estate market for some time yet? Anyway, yeah, they've been a warm port in a storm for 15 years now, and have gone through several changes, here's hoping the best is yet to come.